But they say therefore of grace because of works Not of works lest any man should boast saith the spirit But of workes and yet a man shall boast in the Lord saith Bellarmine This may seeme to sound well to an ignorant eare to say God hath giuen this to me whereby I am iust but well considered vnder pretence of piety spoiles Christ of his glory Why doth not the Papist as well say he hath giuen me wherewith to redeeme my selfe for by the same wherewith we are iustified wee are redeemed as it is written being iustified by his blood Rom. 5.9 Behold the blood of him that is God and man iustifies vs and that redeemes vs for in vaine had Christ died for vs if by meat and drinke we our selues might haue purchased the Kingdome of God But the matter is farre otherwise for all saith S. August which are iustified by Christ are iust not in themselues but in him That which is Christs because it is his is most perfect that which is ours because ours is weake and vnperfect Iustly doth Hierome deride Câ—esiphon in the like case as we may these merit-mongers O blessed O happy men if that iustice which can be found no where but in heauen may be found with you only vpon earth Therefore let them boast of their good works of arrogance and superarrogance let vs in humility take vp that notable speech of Saint Ambrose I will not boast because I am iust but because I am redeemed I will not boast because I am voyd of sinne but that my sinnes are forgiuen Contrary boasting for that wee haue nor can finde iust cause in our selues nor warrant from the word we shall leaue to Enagrius Priscillian Iovinian the Messalians Pelagians and the rest of that rout which magnifying their own foolish fancies make the word of God of none effect The humble confession of the poore publican liketh vs well O Lord bee mercifull vnto me a sinner But for the further opening of the difference betweene the Papists and vs and for the more full cleering of our selues from their false accusation of vs you shall vnderstand that the Rhemists haue gathered two princip all conclusions against vs both out of these words of Paul If I haue all faith so that I can remoue mountaines and haue not charity I am nothing 1 Cor. 13. The first is that True faith may bee without loue works The second that Faith alone doth not iustifie without good works To the first we answere them that speech of Paul is nota categoricall proposition but an hypotheticall supposition as if it were possible that faith could bee without workes it were nothing Secondly the faith which Saint Paul here speaketh of is not a iustifyng or a sauing faith but a miraculous faith of which our Sauiour in the Gospell If yee had faith as much as a graine of mustard feed c. This he spake to the beleeuing Apostles and therefore cannot be vnderstood of a sauing faith as also S. Ambrose interpreteth that Text to doe wonders and to cast out Deuils by faith is nothing worth except a man be a follower of God by good conuesation thus he thus we There is a dead faith Iam. 2.20 There is a liuely faith Gal. 2.20 There is a faith of Deuils Iam. 2.19 There is a faith of Gods elect Tit. 1.1 There is an enduring faith Iohn 3.15 There is a perishing faith Luke 8.13 There is a faith which the world destroyeth 2 Tim. 2.18 There is a faith which destroyeth the world I Iohn 5.4 There is a faith whereby we beleeue a God Iam. 2.19 There is a faith whereby we beleeue in God Ioh. 14.1 According to the differences of faith in scripture there is a faith without workes and a faith with workes hence Diuines haue a fourefold consideration of faith as it is historicall miraculous temporarie iustifying Three of which kinds may be in the reprobate but that other iustifying faith can be in none but Gods eiect whereby we doe not only beleeue a God nor beleeue God only Credere 〈◊〉 Deo Deum in Deum but beleeue in God to which the promise of iustification of saluation is made of this faith once againe if they will heare vs we say it cannot be separated from charity but wheresoeuer it is it bringeth forth good works to the praise and glory of God of this in S. August words we conclude Inseparabilis est bona vita à fide quaper dilectionem operatur imo verò ea ipsa est bona vita in his booke de fide operibus Whereunto accordeth Irenaus lib. 4. cap. 14. to beleeue is to Doe as God will To the second conclusion viz. That faith alone iustifieth not We answere Although faith be not solitaria yet in our iustification it is sola A worthy Diuine of ours hath a worthy saying to this purpose Euen as the eye in regard of being is neuer alone from the head yet in respect of seeing it is alone for it is the eye only that doth see So faith subsisteth not without other graces of God as hope loue c. yet in regard of the act of iustification it is alone without all considered by it selfe To make this plaine we must know that the separating of things is or reall in subiecto the subiect mentall in anime the vnderstanding The first reall separation of faith and charity wee really wholly deny and Bellarmine honestly eleereth Luther Melancthou Chemnitius Calvin and other learned Protestants herein who he confesseth teach good works to be necessary to saluation de iustificat lib. 4. cap. 1. § ac primum confessio c. The second mentall separation which Is negatiue when in the vnderstanding one thing is denied another affirmed Is priuatiue when of things that cannot bee parted yet a man vnderstands one and omits the other Viz. Light and heat cannot be separated in fire yet a man may consider the light and not the heat Briefly negatiuely we doe not separate good works from fayth but priuatiuely we make them not concurring causes but effects and consequents of our iustification our assertion then faith considered without good workes doth iustifie Operasunt via non causa regnandi sayth Bernard and with Aug. Opera non pracedunt iustificandum sed sequuntur iustificatum not goe before but after iustification Euen as our Church speaketh the wheele turneth round Homily of good works nor to the end to be made round but because it is first made round therefore it turneth round so men are sanctified because first iustified not iustified because first sanctified neither is this conclusion ours alone but the Fathers and the Reformed Churches yea of some of the Papists and those also of the greatest Clerks among them as it may appeare viz. If we cast our eies backe to the ancient Doctors they are all for vs in this point Not according to the worth of our workes saith Basil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
conuersation honest and harmelesse that the name of God may not be blasphemed among the Gentiles and not only so but that they may winne those that are without by their holy cariage and conuersation according to that of the Prophet Isaiab 61.9 Their seed shal be known among the Gentiles and their of spring among the people All that see them shall acknowledge them that they are the seed that the Lord hath blessed And if this reason bee not sufficient let me lead you yet further Reason 4 Because this is the commandement of God to the performance whereof we are inuited à praemio from the reward à periculo from the danger That God commands it without further reason why is sufficient reason for vs to do it And that it is the command of the highest it appeareth in many places Eschew euill and doe good To doe good forget not Date eleemosynam Luke 11.41 Charge the rich that they bee fruitfull in good workes and heere be doing good And in many places which command implies obedience if we go no further then the command it selfe for he that commanded it to be done is that mighty one high aboue all men and angels by whose command all things were made for dixit factuns est but that the Lord might leaue vs inexcusable and that euery mouth might be stopped he hath enforced the same by a double reason For hoofac vines do this A praemiâ— and thou shalt liue There is a reward greater then our seruice Againe he that looketh in the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein being not a forgetfull hearer but a doer of the worke the same shall bee happie in his deed which happinesse is no lesse then eternall life then which what reward can be greater Againe wee are exhorted by good workes on earth to lay vp for our selues treasures in heauen to bring somewhat into Gods exchequer as the Israelites to the Tabernacle whereof in singular confidence clayming an especiall interest in Gods fauour and expecting the promised recompence we may say with Nehemiah Remember me O God concerning this For albeit the glory of God bee the vltimus terminus of our cogitations actions well doing and principall motiue of our good workes and as it were the primum mobile of our obedience yet as Aquinas in the actions of our obedience whilest we seeke the aduancement of Gods glory in the first place we may as a secondary obiect or adiunct respect our owne commodity and haue an eie to our owne reward for shall Iob or any one serue God for nothing But as S. Augustine saith in Pal. 100. Nisi Deus per misericordiam parceret non inueniret quos per iustitiam corenaret Except God should spare in mercy he should finde none to crowne in iustice For as conscious to our selues of our many imperfections in our best actions of defects and faults in the end matter maner or measure of our obedience we must supplicate and say misericordia tua meritum meum thy mercie is my merie pardon me according to thy great mercy In hope and expectation of which infinite reward we must in our seuerall callings dailie be doing good exercising our selues in works of piety and pity that so our soules as fields of sincerity being daily more and more charged with the deeds of mercy we may at length be accomplisht with the erest and crowne of eternall glory as himselfe hath promised Matt. 5. Blessed be the mercifull for they shall obtaine mercy Luk. 6.35 Iohn 14.1 They shall be called the children of the highest and therefore haue a dwelling place in their fathers house For Quimiseretur proximo soeneratur domino he that casts his bread vpon the waters shall after many daies find for a crumme a crowne for one mite a million for a drop of cold water a full draught of that heauenly water wherof hauing tasted he shall neuer thirst any more and in a word for the gleanings and refuse of our vintage a ful measure pressed and running ouer saithfull is he that promised to performe it But if we cannot be wonne by reward let vs be wrested by danger for feare of punishment for feare and anguish shall be vpon euery soule that doeth euill and take and bind that vnprofitable seruant and cast him into vtter darknesse there shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth this is their portion for euer ignorans ignorabitur Primosâ—â—â— Aquin. hee that will not know God by doing good shall not be known of God among those to whom he shall shew himselfe good These forenamed reasons first to shew our loue to God in walking as his children secondly to shew our loue to our selues In quieting our consciences In making our election sure Thirdly to shew our loue to our neighbours In witnessing our faith In winning them by our godly conuersation Fourthly in yeelding obedience to the commandement of God In respect of the reward In respect of the danger These reasons I say as a cord diuinely twisted are sufficiently able to moue vs to and to confirm vs in the doing of good Vse 1 First then let vs sling this stone into the brazen foreheads of our Aduersaries which in their shamesse chalenges of our Religion dare tell the world that we are all for faith nothing for good workes all for saying but nothing for doing And that we hold workes to saluation as a Parenthesis to a clause that it may bee perfect without them Heauen and earth shall witnesse the iniustice of this calumniation and the consciences of all which heare vs shall bee our compurgators which testifie that there is no lesse necessity of doing good workes then if you should bee saued by them and th t though you cannot be saued by them as the meritorious cause of your glory yet that you cannot be saued without them as the necessary effects of that grace which brings glory We say and maintaine that fides nuda is fides nulla a naked faith is no true fayth to the conuiction of that lewd slander of Solifidianisme For although we doe not wee dare not make inherent righteousnesse the cause of our iustification yet wee say it is the effect thereof though with the Papists we make it not the Vsher yea rather the Parent of iustification yet we require it as the companion at least the Page thereof But some man may say what matters it if both ascribe the whole worke to God For comes it not all to one if one pay a summe for me or giue it me to pay my selfe These things may seeme little dissonant to some mens cares yet the spirit of God hath made them vtterly incompatible For it is written To him that worketh the wages is not imputed of grace but of debt if by grace now not of works for else grace should be no more grace Rom. 4.4 Ephes 2.8 for neither is it grace any way if it bee not free euery way saith Aug.
of them both To what end hath the grace of Soluation appeared if not to this end to teach vs to liue godly in respect of our great and glorious maker and master to liue soberly in respect of our selues to liue iustly in respect of our neighbours if we haue with the ouerweening Pharisee great godlinesse in our philacteries fringes and care-seruice frequenting the Lectures of the Law not caring how wee liue we shall seeme holy without righteousnesse and if with the simple seduced Saduces we liue honestly and ciuilly but beleeue nor Angels spirits nor resurrection wee shall appeare righteous without holinesse either of these commeth short of that obedience which is required of God who will not be serued with holinesse only nor righteousnesse only but with both Againe to what end hath the Lord giuen vnto euery one a seuerall gift and talent in this present world if not for this end to employ them in Doing of good in our seuerall places to the glory of his name and good of his Church This matter then of Doing good concerning vs all is to be considered of vs all in particular Particularly the Magistrate must bee carefull to Doe good Vp and be Doing of good you Magistrates exercise your talents a great measure of well-doing is expected from you God and man call daily for it and you shall well performe it if you will rise betimes with Dauid and punish the workers of iniquity if in the zeale of Phineas you will execute iudgement in Israel if you will for the better examples sake sanctifie the Lords Sabbath your selues and command the sanctification of the same by others if you will countenance the good defend the fatherlesse take the cause of the poore into iust consideration weed out and root out from the city of the Lord all vnprofitable members inordinate walkers dissolute liuers search Ierusalem with lights for these linkers in the theeuish corners of the City which are the Deuils closets wherein he sits close studying and contriuing all villany and mischiefe and afterward put in execution take heed you winke not at these nourish them not but suppresse them let them not come in your way except it be to punish them hoc agite principatum quemgeritis ornare adorne your places with your carriage in so good a place Doe much good God hath put the sword in thy hand to doe this businesse therefore thou must doe it then goo on with cheerfulnesse and courage in thy place the Lord shall be with thee shew thy selfe a man Particularly the Minister of Gods word must be zealous of Doing good painfully labouring with wholsome doctrine threathing the thunder-claps of Gods iudgements against all impenitent workers of iniquity and pouring the balme of Gilead into the wounds of the distressed Samaritan opening the mystery of the word of life whereby many bee made wise vnto saluation and that the man of God may be perfectly furnished to euery good worke And in 〈◊〉 word euery particular degree of men high and low rich and poore publikely in the Church priuately in the family must exercise themselues in doing of good yeelding obedience to the commandements of God and labouring in their lines and conuersations to make a reall yea a royall manifestation of the fayth which they professe by Doing of some good But there is a more proper obiect of our Doing good namely to the poore wherein that wee may not any way mistake the Scripture hath set downe certaine cautions and confined vs to certaine limitations summarily cou ched in that prouerbiall verse viz. Est modus in dando quid cur cui quomedo quando Beyond which bounds wee may not passe Let vs take a running view of them Fiue rules are heere to bee obserued in our Doing good 1. What we giue 2. Why we giue 3. To whom we giue 4. How we giue 5. When we giue 1. What. We must giue that which is our owne honor the Lord with thy substance not another mans and with the first fruits of thine increase Prou. 3.9 2. Why must we giue Because God commands it loue the stranger Leu. 19.34 then loued when releeued because Christ demands it Date cleemosynam Luc. 11.41 hee that giues all requires but some a cup of cold water a crust of bread and because the spirit commends it for a sacrifice wherewith God is well pleased Heb. 13.16 The Rabbines say tithe and be rich the Lord giue and be rich he that giueth to the poore lendeth to the Lord Prou. 19.17 Qui miseretur proximo foeneratur Domino 3. To whom must we giue To all Gal. 6.10 While we haue time let vs doe good to all especially to the houshold of faith Thus God is rich in goodnesse vnto all euen his enemies in causing the sunne to rise vpon the iust and vniust Matt. 5. but especially to the faythfull which in regard of the small number are called a houshold these Dauid preferred O Lord my goodnes extendeth not to thee but to the Saints that are in the earth my delight is in them Psal 16.2.3 And as touching the poore wee must make discretion Steward of the Kitchin lest we prooue our selues guilty of foolish pity for there are of poore 1. impotent 2. labouring Seeke out these in the backe lanes if they seeke not thee and releeue them but for the idle poore and sturdy poore giue them not except it be a whip and a pasport and therin the more liberall the fewer beggars in Israel 4. How must wee giue The Apostle hath directed The Lord loueth a cheerefull giuer 2. Cor. 9.7 God loueth a willing giuer Againe abundantly hee that soweth sparingly shall reape sparingly and he that soweth plentifully shall reap plentifully To this end the oyle of our charity must be compounded rightly As Moses was commanded to put into the oyle certaine spices so God would haue euery Christian Almesgiuer to play the Druggist first our almes must be like myrrh which distils from the tree without cutting or incision so must charity without compulsion Secondly Cinamon hot in taste hot in operation so must our almes neither stone cold as Nabal nor lukewarme as Laodicea but hot as it is sayd of Iohn Baptist of Constantinople whose daily practise was to releeue the poore Thirdly Cassia as sweet as the former but low the embleme of humility so giue but not vainegloriously Fourthly Calamus an odoriferous powder but of a fragill reed So giue but acknowledge thy weakenesse thinke it not meritorious periculosa domus corum qui meritis sperant saith Bernard dangerous is that house which thinks to winne heauen by keeping house dangerous because ruinous no say you are vnprofitable seruants But lest I grow tedious Fiftly consider the time when we must giue while we haue time during our life thus was Dorcas sayd to bee full of good workes while she liued Salomon so aduifeth Prou. 3.28 Say not vnto thy neighbour goe and come againe to morrow and I will
neglected euen in many of vs who neither feed liberally by charity nor soundly by Doctrine nor religiously by life which made that proud fugitiue Campian as malitiously as spitefully to say ministris illorum nihil vilius Heauen and earth can beare witnesse that the Sunne neuer beheld a more learned amore religious Cleargie yet among so many pots of the Temple what maruell is it Doctor Hall if some be drie for want of liquor others rusty for want of vse others full of liquor without meat others so full of meat that they want liquor woe to those corrupted sonnes of Heli which through insufficiency or vnconscionablenesse poure contempt on their owne faces Againe for other degrees of men how farre in their places from Doing that which is good is plaine to behold The Lawyer bee it knowne vnto all men vseth the Law vnlawfully not making it a speciall and speedy remedy of wrongs but an Engine or trap to ensnare the weake and simple trebling their fees of vniust gaine and troubling the world with vniust suites The Shopkeepers also as we passe along to cast an eye of obseruance on them how righteous he is in his dealing is easie to iudge their houses are as full of deceit as a cage of birds if either lies and oathes or false lights false measures vniust and unconscionable gaines may make men righteous then there is no vnrighteousnesse in them Lastly what doing of good our rich men practise now a daies he that hath but halfe his sight with one-eyed Phocion may cleerly see for they are better a great deale at the rake then at the pitchforke as it is in the prouerbe readier to pull and rake to them then to lay out or giue any thing Aurum habet Ecclesia non ut servet sed ut eroget but their greedy desires of mony increase faster then their mony our extortioners are not rooted in charity their mindes are on their mines that 's the root where they root but if the Apostle spake true Philargury is the root of all villany These sell the ayre take mony for time contract with Satan giue their soules for surety and the Deuill keepes the bond till they pay in themselues for the principalls Doe our rich men resemble Saint Bafil the great who in a famine did not only giue to the poore himselfe but exhorted others to open their barnes and doe the like Or William Warbam sometime Archbishop of Canterbury who was so liberall to the poore that hee left but thrity peeces of gold behinde him which pleased as Erasmus saith him so well that he said It is well I desired alway to dye no richer Or Philip Melancthon who was out of a meane estate so bountifull that euery houre some or other were relieued at his dore Or es Dorcas full of good works Or as the Captaine Cornelius and other holy men of God Abraham Lot c. Surely they are the greatest part so farre from going out to meet the poore as Abraham met the three Angels vnknowne that they turne their backs and shut the dore vpon them and instead of feasting and refreshing of them with churlish and crabbed words rate them away with hungry stomackes No no their care is to build faire houses and when they haue done to lock the dore and goe their waies and leaue them empty we haue a great many of these mockbeggars in England which where they should doe most good like butterflyes are to be seene but once in a yeere yet that is not to make a feast with Nabal at their sheepe-shearing nor to relieue their poore neighbours neere them but to rack their rents and enhaunse their fines to make themselues very fine finem facere to vndoe the poore Tenant to call Courts to fill carts to fence God out and hedge the Deuill in Giue they are so farre from giuing that like spunges good must be wrung out of them perforce like vnto Nabal churlish and euill in their doings which notwithstanding they haue good cause 1 Sam. 26.3 yet are so farre from helping that they say who is Dauid or what is the sonne of Iesse there be many seruants now a dayes that breake away euery one from his master shall I then take my bread and flesh that I haue killed for my shearers and giue it to these whom I know not whence they be Or like Cain nunquid ego fratris custos am I my brothers keeper Or like Iudas ad quid perditio haec to what end is this waste yea so farre are many from helping and relieuing them that because they are rich they presume they may tread them downe oppresse them by authority keepe back their maintenance take away their meanes as Ahab did poore Naboths Vineyard and their life too especially if mistris painted face Iezabel can beare rule what are they not rich art not thou a King art not thou a Lord of that Mannor are they not thy Tenants bridle them and saddle them and spurre them to death to keepe the slaues downe c. Yet I must confesse many rich men doe giue now adaies but it is according to that rule formerly set downe Surely no for First there are that regard not what they giue they giue that for which they deserue no thanks but shame they feed the poore at another mans table and make them free of another mans trencher such an almes-giuer was the Deuill who would giue the world to our Sauiour a liberall almes but out of Gods Exchequer yet as these hee said all is mine and to whom I please I giue it So Alexander the sixt gaue America to the King of Spaine as in 88. the Pope gaue England to him to a great gift but out of the Indians and Christians freehold and so indeed many an vpstart Gentleman giues by keeping of a good house for his company when like the lewes he crucifies Christ in his poore Tenants he feedeth some few poore as his wicket and hath made many poore to furnish his dresser his charity reliues ten his cruelty hath vndone ten thousand If euer the prouerbe be true t is true in this here is robbing of Peter to pay Paul Secondly there are that regard not why they giue not out of any care to obey Gods Commandements not out of any loue to their brethren not out of any loue chiefely to Gods glory or the like but to get a name to become famous for ostentation sake as the Scribes and Pharisees these are obstreperous benefactors which cackle like hens and blow a trumpet in the streets of their deeds haue not I done this giuen him that preferred him to his liuing or place did not I settle him yes but not out of any zeale to Gods glory but for some by-respect to make some other vse of him in such or such occasions and seruice but almes shold be like Oyle which is silent in pouring downe and maketh no noise yet it lies aloft So thou needest not